Tag Archives: Dustin Ackley

Make no mistake, I wanted Prince Fielder in a Seattle Mariners
uniform.

Justin Smoak

That being said, I’m okay with Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik not
opting for the big dough that snagged Fielder for the Detroit
Tigers. I guess as a lifelong M’s fan, I’ve seen Kevin Mitchell not
hit HRs in the Kingome, and Richie Sexton and Adrian Beltre never
come close to the power numbers they displayed with other teams.
Now Fielder may be different, but the reality is that I think it’s
too high a price-tag. Fielder may have several good years in front
of him, but a 9-year commitment and still needing to sign your own
guys like Felix Hernandez in a few years leads to an awful lot of
issues. I’m tired of hearing people say the M’s didn’t try to get
him. They have no idea that’s true. It’s not like they can run to
the store and pick him up! Outside of money, why would he want to
be here? The Mariners are at least a couple of years away from
contending again; they are young; the ball park is huge and hitting
HR’s isn’t easy; the cold makes it worse for the first 3 months…
You get the picture. In Detroit, they are already contending and
they have a hitter friendly park. He may be there ticket over the
top now.

I like Jesus Montero and I’ve never seen him play. The guys who
know a lot more about baseball rave about him. Who cares if he
isn’t that much of a defensive catcher. We haven’t had stellar
backstop work since Dan Wilson hung up the spikes. The kid is 22
years old. As long as he can keep the ball in front of him, throw
the ball back to the pitcher, and keep runners halfway honest, I
can live with it as long as it comes with .330, 30 HR’s, and 120
RBIs! If Montero can be anywhere near the lofty status people
project for him, comparing him to mashers like Frank Thomas and
Miguel Cabrera, then the M’s may have their own “prince” locked up
for the next 6 years. Time will tell.

At this point, I actually find myself excited to watch Montero,
Justin Smoak, Mike Carp and Dustin Ackley for a full season. Spring
always brings hope eternal, right? It just might need to be hope in
2013 or 2014. I’d settle for a anything better than a lousy .233
batting average and .292 on base percentage. THAT would at
least keep me watching more games. And, it would lead to more wins
– something the Mariners organization, Jack Zduriencik, and Manager
Eric Wedge desperately need!